1

only he, who now hinders, will hinder till he be taken out of the way; and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the 8 Lord Jesus shall consume with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His appearing. But the appearing of that lawless one shall be in the strength of Satan's working, with all the might and signs and wonders of falsehood, and all the delusions of unrighteousness, taking possession of 10 those who are in the way of perdition; because they would not receive the love of the truth, whereby they might be saved. For this cause, God will send upon them an inward working 11 of delusion, making them give their faith to lies, that all should 12 be condemned who have refused their faith to the truth, and have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.

Exhortation

to stedfastness

But for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, I am 13 and obedience. bound to thank God continually, because He chose you from the first unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and faith in the truth. And to this He called you 14 through my Glad-tidings, to the end that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, be sted-15 fast and hold fast the teaching which has been delivered to you, whether by my words or by my letters. And may our Lord 16 Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and has given us in His mercy a consolation which is eternal, and a hope which cannot fail, comfort your hearts, and 17 establish you in all goodness both of word and deed.

He asks their

Finally, brethren, pray for me, that the word of 1 prayers. the Lord Jesus may hold its onward course, and that its glory may be shown forth towards others as towards you; and that I may be delivered from the perverse and 2 wicked; for not all men have faith. But our Lord is faithful, 3 and he will keep you steadfast, and guard you from evil. And 4 I rely upon you in the Lord, and feel confident that you are following and will follow the charges which I give you. And 5 may our Lord guide your hearts to the love of God, and to the patient endurance which was in Christ.

Exhorts to an I charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord 6

orderly and

This appears to be an illusion to (although not an exact quotation of) Isaiah 4:-" With the breath of His lips He shall destroy the impious man." (LXX version.) In the Targum Jonathan, this prophecy (which was probably in St. Paul's thoughts) in applied to the Messiah's coming, and "the impious," yu¬ (doɛtŋ, LXX.), is inter preted to mean an individual Antichrist

life

appealing 14

Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every diligent brother whose life is disorderly, and not guided by his own exam 7 the rules which I delivered. For you know your

ple.

selves the way to follow my example; you know that my life 8 among you was not disorderly, nor was I fed by any man's bounty, but earned my bread by my own labour, toiling night and day, that I might not be burdensome to any of you. And this I did, not because I am without the right of being maintained by those to whom I minister, but that I might make 10 my own deeds a pattern for you to imitate. For when I was

2

1

among you I gave you this rule: 'If any man will not work, 11 neither let him eat.' I speak thus, because I hear that some among you are leading a disorderly life, neglecting their own 12 work, and meddling with that of others. Such, therefore, I charge and exhort, by the authority of my Lord Jesus Christ, to live in quietness and industry, and earn their own bread by 13 their own labour. But you, brethren, notwithstand14 ing, be not weary of doing good. If any man refuse to obey the directions which I send by this letter, mark that man, and cease from intercourse with him, that 15 so he may be brought to shame. Yet count him not as an 16 enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace in all ways and at all seaThe Lord be with you all.

17

sons.

I, Paul, add my salutation with my own hand, which is a token whereby all my letters may be known. These are the characters in which I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.'

Mode of dealwho refused

ing with those

obedience.

Such was the second of the two letters which St. Paul wrote to Thessalonica during his residence at Corinth. Such was the Christian Correspondence now established, in addition to the political and commer 1 See note on 1 Thess. ii. 6.

* The characteristic paronomasia here, μηδεν ἐργαζομένους ἀλλὰ περιεργαζομένους, is not exactly translateable into English. "Busy bodies who do no business" would be an imitation.

'I. e. although your kindness may have been abused by such idle trespassers or your bounty.

4 Aμn here (as in the end of 1 Thess.) is a subsequent addition.

cial ccrrespondence existing before, between the two capitals of Achaia and Macedonia. Along with the official documents which passed between the governors of the contiguous provinces,' and the communications be tween the merchants of the Northern and Western Egean, letters were now sent, which related to the establishment of a "kingdom not of this world," and to "riches" beyond the discovery of human enterprise.'

The influence of great cities has always been important on the wide movements of human life. We see St. Paul diligently using this influence during a protracted residence at Corinth, for the spreading and strengthening of the Gospel in Achaia and beyond. As regards the province of Achaia, we have no reason to suppose that he confined his activity to its metropolis. The expression used by St. Luke need only denote that it was his head-quarters, or general place of residence. Communication was easy and frequent, by land or by water, with other parts of the province. Two short days' journey to the south were the Jews of Argos, who might be to those of Corinth what the Jews of Bercea had been to those of Thessalonia. About the same distance to the east was the city of Athens, which had been imperfectly evangelised, and could be visited without danger. Within a walk of a few hours, along a road busy with traffic, was the sea-port of Cenchreæ, known to us as the residence of a Christian community. These were the "Churches of God" (2 Thess. i 4), among whom the Apostle boasted of the patience and the faith of the Thessalonians, the homes of "the saints in all Achaia" (2 Cor. i. 1), saluted at a later period, with the Church of Corinth," in a letter written from Macedonia. These churches had alternately the blessir gs of the presence and the letters-the oral and the written teaching-of St. Paul The former of these blessings is now no longer granted to us; but those long and wearisome journeys, which withdrew the teacher so often from his anxious converts, have resulted in our possession of inspired Epistles, in all their freshness and integrity, and with all their lessons of wisdom und love.

10

1 Cicero's Cilician Correspondence furnishes many specimens of the letters which passed between the governors of neighbouring provinces.

Much of the intercourse in Greece has always gone on by small coasters. For the Roman roads, see Wesseling. Pouqueville mentions traces of a paved road between Corinth and Argos.

See pp. 18 and 385.

7 See above, p. 340.

We have not entered into the question of St. Paul's journey from Athens to Corinth. He might either travel by the coast road through Eleusis and Megara, or a sail of a few hours, with a fair wind, would take him from the Piræus to Cenchreæ. 10 Compare 1 Thess. i. 7, 8.

9 Rom. xvi. 1.

It is possible that the phrase iv navтì tóny (1 Cor. i. 2) may have the same meaning.

NOTE.

THERE are some difficulties and differences of opinion, with regard to the move ments of Silas and Timotheus, between the time when St. Paul left them in Macedonia, and their rejoining him in Achaia.

The facts which are distinctly stated are as follows. (1) Silas and Timotheus were left at Berca (Acts xviii. 14) when St. Paul went to Athens. We are not told why they were left there, or what commissions they received; but the Apostle sent a message from Athens (Acts xviii. 15) that they should follow him with all speed, and (Acts xviii. 16) he waited for them there. (2) The Apostle was rejoined by them when at Corinth (Acts xviii. 5). We are not informed how they had been employed in the interval, but they came "from Macedonia." It is not distinctly said that they came together, but the impression at first sight is that they did. (3) St. Paul himself informs us (1 Thess. iii. 1), that he was "left in Athens alone," and that this solitude was in consequence of Timothy having been sent to Thessalonica (1 Thess. iii. 2). Though it is not expressly stated that Timothy was sent from Athens, the first impression is that he was.

Thus there is a seeming discrepancy between the Acts and Epistles; a journey of Timotheus to Athens, previous to his arrival with Silas and Timotheus at Corinth, appearing to be mentioned by St. Paul, and to be quite unnoticed by St. Luke.

Paley, in the Hora Paulinæ, says that the Epistle "virtually asserts that Timothy came to the Apostle at Athens," and assumes that it is "necessary" to suppose this, in order to reconcile the history with the Epistle. And he points out three intimations in the history, which make the arrival, though not expressly mentioned, extremely probable: first, the message that they should come with all speed; secondly, the fact of his waiting for them; thirdly, the absence of any appearance of haste in his departure from Athens to Corinth. Paul had ordered Timothy to follow him without delay: he waited at Athens on purpose that Timothy might come up with him, and he stayed there as long as his own choice led him to continue."

This explanation is satisfactory. But two others might be suggested, which would equally remove the difficulty.

It is not expressly said that Timotheus was sent from Athens to Thessalonica. St. Paul was anxious, as we have seen, to revisit the Thessalonians; but since he was hindered from doing so, it is highly probable (as Hemsen and Wieseler suppose) that he may have sent Timotheus to them from Beraa. Silas might be sent on some similar commission, and this would explain why the two companions were left behind in Macedonia. This would necessarily cause St. Paul to be "left alone in Athens." Such solitude was doubtless painful to him; but the spiritual good of the new converts was at stake. The two companions, after finishing the work entrusted to them, finally rejoined the Apostle at Corinth.' That he "waited for them" at Athens need cause us no difficulty: for in those days the arrival of travellers could not confidently be known beforehand. When he left Athens and proceeded to Corinth, he knew that Silas and Timotheus could easily ascertain his movements, and follow his steps, by help of information ob tained at the synagogue.

› We should observe that the phrase is "from Macedonia," not "from Berca"

But, again, we may reasonably suppose, that in the course of St. Paul's stay at Corinth, he may have paid a second visit to Athens, after the first arrival of Timotheus and Silas from Macedonia; and that during some such visit he may have rent Timotheus to Thessalonica. This view may be taken without our supposing, with Bottger, that the First Epistle to the Thessalonians was written at Athens. Schrader and others imagine a visit to that city at a later period of his life; but this view cannot be admitted without deranging the arguments for the date of 1 Thess., which was evidently written soon after leaving Macedonia.

Two further remarks may be added. (1) If Timothy did rejoin St. Paul at Athens, we need not infer that Silas was not with him, from the fact that the name of Silas is not mentioned. It is usually taken for granted that the second arrival of Timothy (1 Thess. iii. 6) is identical with the coming of Silas and Timotheus to Corinth (Acts xviii. 5); but here we see that only Timothy is mentioned, doubtless because he was most recently and familiarly known at Thessa lonica, and perhaps, also, because the mission of Silas was to some other place. (2) On the other hand, it is not necessary to assume, because Silas and Timotheus are mentioned together (Acts xviii. 5), that they came together. All conditions are satisfied if they came about the same time. If they were sent on missions to two different places, the times of their return would not necessarily coincide.1 In considering all these journeys, it is very needful to take into account that they would be modified by the settled or unsettled state of the country with regard to banditti, and by the various opporturities of travelling, which depend on the sea son and the weather, and the sailing of vessels.

1 Something may be implied in the form 8,re 2. xal T. (Silas as well as Timotheus)

• Hindrances connected with some such corsiderations may be referred to in Phil

iv. 10.

› From the British Muscum. The emperor is Caligula